I was up at 7:00AM to get ready for work. That sounds more official then it was because in reality I had a shower and ate breakfast and boom! ready for work. I had this granola cereal and juice for breakfast and then Sylvain drove me to work. When I got to work they didn’t quite know what to do with me. I think there was a miscommunication both between me and my supervisor right then as well as between my supervisor and the ymca because she didn’t seem to know I was coming. Once we got all that sorted out, I got my camp name. While at camp everyone calls anana (french for pineapple). The way the camp works is in the morning the kids do specific activities that they signed up for-soccer, sport ball, hip hop, English etc.- and then in the afternoon they split into age groups and play camp games. The first thing we all did together was this kind of flash mob style dance and then broke off into groups. In the morning I was with the soccer group where we did some warm ups, some header drills, and had a snack. After snack we played a game of soccer and then played some camp games. Right before lunch, we all met back in the gym for some announcements before lunch. After lunch I was with the 10-12 year olds and we played toilet tag, space invaders, and pirate tag. After that they got these little booklets so that they can write out what they did during the week at camp. One they were all finished, we went inside and played some parachute games until it was almost time to go home. We hung about while the kids played with some gym equipment until it was 4:15PM when Gilberte picked me up and drove me home. I was really tired when I got home, both physically and mentally. I didn’t realise how hard I would have to work to understand what everyone was saying and try to communicate back to them. Just before dinner, Gilberte took us to get our bus passes for the summer. The picture on mine is fantastic as usual but what can you do. When we got home, dinner was ready and we had seasoned pork chops, green beans, cucumbers and carrots for dinner and this fruit puré this and banana bread for dessert. Gilberte has this thing where you put slightly defrosted frozen fruit in it and it makes it into something close to sorbet. After dinner we took a look at the bikes for me and Nat and then went to the pharmacy so I could get shampoo and stuff. When we got back, Gilberte and I went on a bike ride so I could figure out how to get to work on my bike. When we got home it was pretty much right into our nightly routine of lunch making and then off to bed. There were some fun things about today like the fact that when I opened my lunch box there was a little note from Gilberte wishing me a good day and the fact that my camp name is pineapple, most of the time now, someone really is saying pineapple get my attention!I also befriended a girl named Morgan who works with me. She’s my age and started today just like me. She’s really nice and is happy to explain things me when I don’t understand (so always). I’m exhausted but it will get easier right?
Poor Mimi – sounds like a challenging day! It WILL get easier! Now you know where you are going and an idea of what to expect. The people will become familiar and you will make more friends! Plus pineapple! We love you and are thinking about you all the time. Please thank Sylvan and Gilbert for looking after you for us!